A Father's Pride
by SparksJSH
Summary: Presuming Capt. William Mitchell is Billy from the origianl rangers, what was going through his mind as he recruits the newest team of rangers?


A Father's Pride

_**Disclaimer:** Saban owns all things Ranger related and I own nothing. I got this idea from a post Cynthia put up on her board and the story flew from there. This story presumes that the premier starts at least twenty years after PRiS and that Captain William Mitchell is everyone's beloved Billy._

### A Father's Pride  
by: Jennifer Hart

"These are your rescue morphers. They're worn on your wrists." Captain William Mitchell could see the fear, doubt and excitement in the eyes of each new ranger. It was like looking into a mirror of the past at his won reaction when he stood where they did. He wondered in that instant what Jason, Zack, Trini and Kim would say if they could be there right now. He missed them more right now than he had for the past fifteen years. 

He felt rather than heard his daughter's gasp of surprise when she saw the remaining morpher. "Five?" 

He looked at her, into her surprised eyes that were so much like her mother's . He was glad he had the folder to hide his shaking hands. "You are the fifth." 

"Me?" Suddenly it was like they were the only two in the room. The others, for the moment, didn't matter. 

Opening her folder he had to wonder just when his baby had grown up. "For 18 years I have been training you for this. It's yours - if you want it." 

If he had had the slightest doubt that she would refuse it was instantly dispelled as she nodded, took the morpher, and joined her new teammates. He studied them, seeing himself, Jason, Trini, Zack and Kim standing before him instead of Chad, Carter, Kelsey, Joel, and his beloved Dana. Zordon would be proud that his legacy had lived on. Needing to get rid of the lump forming in his throat he nodded. "All right Rangers, time to get to work." 

* * *

"Captain Mitchell, we have the rangers on visual." 

William Mitchell twisted his chair so he could see the monitor. Oh how he wished he could be out there fighting with them. Despite the thirty plus years that had passed since he'd last morphed, the adrenaline rush still had him longing to be a Ranger. He'd come a long way since that day he and his friends initially walked away from Zordon. He took the offered earpiece and placed it in his right ear. He winced as he saw Joel take a bad blow but to the Green Ranger's credit, he didn't let it stop him from fighting back. Watching them fight the Batlings, he wondered if this was how Zordon had felt as Jason, Zack Trini, Kim and he first fought the putties. 

"They're too strong for us." Carter's voice was full of both pain and frustration. Hadn't Jason said something similar during that first fateful day? Like Zordon before him, William knew he had to instruct the new Rangers in what to do. 

"Rangers, use your morphers." This was the moment he'd waited for since the day he had begun work on the Rescue powers. Seeing the Rangers morph for the first time. His heart swelled with pride as all the Rangers assumed the powers he had spent so much time creating but especially for Dana. Never had she reminded him so much of her mother as she did right now. 

The battle didn't last long. The creature didn't stand a chance against the Rescue powers and their hand-picked bearers. As the monster blew up, Captain Mitchell had to stifle a triumphant cry. Removing the earpiece, he handed it to a passing crewmember. "I'll be in my office. Inform me when the Rangers return." 

Once in his office, William settled in his chair and picked up a photograph on his desk. The woman smiling back at him was the only female besides Dana to share a piece of his heart. He wished, not for the first time, that she were here right now. He sighed. 

"You should have seen her, all of them. They are so different from us. We were all friends before Zordon chose us but they had never met before today. We were just kids and here they are all adults with their teenage years just behind them. Yet at the same time, they are just like us. I look at them and see us, how awkward we were when we first started out. Don't worry about Dana. She's going to be a great Ranger - just like you were. I miss you. You should be here with me." 

"Captain Mitchell, the Rangers have just arrived." 

The former Blue Ranger returned the framed photograph to its spot on the desk and rose. Even from here he could hear the excited cheers from his crew. Stepping out to the main area he could understand the euphoria they felt at having succeeded. He wished he didn't have to crush that happiness. Suddenly he felt as old as Zordon. "There is a time to celebrate but this is not it. You see, now Diabolico knows that you exist. You think this fight was tough? Just wait." 

"But sir," Kelsey looked puzzled. "We just destroyed Diabolico. Didn't we?" 

"Oh no. That was just one of his monsters. You want to defeat him? Then you have a lot of work to do." He paused to let that sink in and then looked around. "We all do." 

* * *

"They're a good team, Tommy. They have a lot to learn but they can do it." 

"They've got a good teacher, Billy." Tommy Oliver was the only person who still called him that. William smiled at the viewer. It was always good to talk to his old friend. Tommy watched him carefully. "How's Dana?" 

His smile widened. "She's great. She's more like her mother all the time." 

"I know you miss her Billy. Heck, I miss her and I know it has to be like ten times worse on you. But you know that if it's possible she's watching over you and Dana. And I bet she's really proud right now." 

William nodded; he could feel tears forming. "The pain gets worse and worse every day but it helps having Dana around to remind me of her." His door chimed. "Someone's at the door. I've got to let you go. It was great talking to you." 

"Ditto. Keep me informed of how things are going. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. I'll do what I can. Tell Dana I said hi." 

William promised and then cut the link. Rising from his chair, he opened his door. Dana smiled and hugged him. He held the embrace for an extra minute. "Your uncle Tommy said hi." 

"I wish I'd known you were talking to him. It's been too long since he came to visit." 

"I figured you would be sound asleep by now. You've had a busy day." 

Dana perched on the edge of his desk. "I guess I'm too excited to sleep. Can I ask you a question, Dad?" 

William touched her cheek. "Of course you can." 

"Why didn't you tell me? About me being a ranger I mean. You said you've been training me for eighteen years but you never said a word. Why not?" 

"I didn't want to pressure you into feeling like you had to agree. I wanted the choice to be yours because you wanted to be a ranger, not because you thought it was what I wanted. Besides that, as proud as I am of what you are doing, part of me hoped the day those demons were released would never not come in yours or my lifetime." 

Dana shook her head, surprised. "Why not? After all the hard work you've done, why wouldn't you want to see it in use?" 

William held her gaze steady in his own. "Because I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't lose you like I lost your mother." 

Dana picked up the picture of her mother and traced the image with her fingertip. "For fifteen years, I've missed her, especially whenever something important happened. I wish she could have known I was going to be a ranger." 

"She knew. Plans for new Ranger powers were already in motion when she learned that she was pregnant. We both knew that our child would be offered the powers if the need arose during your lifetime. A boy would receive Blue 2 and a girl - you - Pink 5. At the time that was all that was decided. The others of course weren't chosen until just a few years ago when you helped with the selection process. But there was never a doubt about you." 

"Why those particular colors?" 

William looked away. "Because those were our colors when we were rangers. We were younger than you when we became the first Morphin Rangers in centuries along with your uncles Jason and Zack and your aunt Trini." 

Dana returned the picture of her mother to the desk and picked up one of all her father's friends who had participated in the project. Her shock that her parents had been rangers was carefully contained. "What about Uncle Tommy?" 

"He didn't start out as one with us but yes, he was once a ranger too." 

Setting the picture aside Dana wiped her eyes. "I miss her Dad. I wish she could see me now." 

William hugged her tightly. As he held her, he stared down at the photograph of Kimberly Hart Mitchell. He thought about what Tommy had said earlier about her watching over them and nodded. "Me too, but maybe she can see you right now. If so, she'd be so proud of you. Just like I am. No father has ever been prouder of his daughter than I am right now." 

After a long minute, Dana pulled away and kissed his cheek. "She'd be proud of you too, Dad. Raising me alone couldn't have been easy but you've done a great job with me as well as with creating this base and our powers. Thank you for telling me about you and her being rangers. It makes me feel even closer to her." She stifled a yawn. "I better go to bed. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. See you in the morning." 

William watched her leave. She was so much like Kim that it was almost like she was still alive. He couldn't imagine anyone else holding the pink ranger powers. Yes they had a lot of work to do but he couldn't ask for a better team to do it.  
  


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